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Furlough days for Defense Department civilians are being cut from 11 to 6, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the department found sufficient savings in the final months of the current fiscal year to lessen the burden on those who have had to take a day off a week without pay since early July.

How convenient---the DoD now appears to be the good guys looking out for the welfare of its employee's right on the cusp of entering into Sequester Round 2 discussions with Congress. There was no reason for the DoD to furlough employees at all---getting more and more tired of being used as a political pawn by the Administration....

back in the 70's during the massive reduction in forces due to the end of the Vietnam War...and the reduction going on today is no better or no worse than back then. Hagel is obviously an bureaucratic hack who has forgotten the saying, "take care of the troops and they'll take care of you..." It's sad to have a fellow Nam vet forget his roots and turn out to be such a member of the establishment. Get rid of the toys and heavy hierarchy, Chuck...or are you just a tool of the imperialist war machine?

Hagel doesn't have to power to block the purchase of the large ticket items Congress has approved. The Army tried to reject the purchase of 300 tanks they don't have the personnel to maintain, let alone operate. Congress pushed it through anyway. Developing a Joint Strike Fighter model that works on an aircraft carrier when we now have drones that can do it as well is still going forward at billions over budget and years behind schedule and there is nothing Hagel can do to stop it if he wanted to. The Defense Department is required by law to purchase these items. Hagel couldn't change any of this if he wanted to.